Complex
by Yumeno Sakiko
Summary: Like a scene from a shojo manga, girl stared at boy; boy stared at girl; girl proceeded to chant death threats about said boy in her head. Yumeno was petty, rash, strong headed, and blunt; the opposite of how a well raised rich girl should act. but that didn't matter because she had a facade, and a beautiful one at that. But how well can her facade hold in an arranged marriage?
1. Prologue

**Complex: Prologue**

 **Author's Note: Hello, this is my first fanfiction, so I would appreciate if you could give me feedback on what you think about it. It's rated T because of cussing. I hope you enjoy reading it and tell me what you think!**

Like a scene from a shojo manga, girl stared at boy; boy stared at girl; girl proceeded to chant death threats about said boy in her head. Yumeno Takahashi held grudges and kept said grudges. The grudges she kept were irrational, petty, and plain sad to a bystander's point of view, but that didn't matter to Yumeno. Why you say? Because nobody knew she held grudges.

Growing up in an affluent family that owned their own multi-million dollar corporation thrust Yumeno into the scrutiny of others at a young age and in turn caused her to mature quickly. Yumeno realized that people held different expectations for rich children. That for some unknown reason people thought her parent's money would restrain her from wanting to climb a tree or from screaming out in glee over rain. That her parent's money would morph her into a quiet doll that would behave properly at social events meant for adults and would grace her with a serene smile that seemed sewn to her face. Yumeno soon realized that nobody wanted the rambunctious child who wanted to scream and run around just like everyone else her age, that child was a nuisance, a disturbance. That child was unwanted.

So Poor five year old Yumeno feared abandonment so she did what she saw as the only logical option at the time; she conformed to the wants of others. Yumeno created a façade, a beautiful façade. With her new mask she was practically perfect, she was polite, and well mannered, and level headed, and competent, and intelligent, and kind, and forgiving.

However no matter how beautiful and perfect a façade is it will always be fake, and the stronger her façade grew the farther the contrast between her real personality and her façade grew. In reality Yumeno was blunt, rash, petty, and from years of hiding away her true personality developed a strong distaste for people better than her. Why were people able to surpass her even after she tried so hard to be perfect to the point that she hid away her true personality? With the creation of her façade, Yumeno's world view also became jaded she saw people for what they possessed, what advantages could they bring to her, and whether or not they were even worth her time. This world view developed from her obsessive want to inherit her parent's company, the Takahashi Corporation.

So with this jaded world view and façade Yumeno had on 24/7 she had to resign herself to chanting the death threats inside her head as she glared at Kyoya Ootori because his name was above hers on the class ranking page posted in front of her. And she had to force herself to resist the urge to crush Kyoya's hand as he shook hers as he said to her "better luck next time". Thus began Yumeno's hatred for Kyoya Ootori as she smiled back at him thinking is he trying to provoke me?!

However Yumeno didn't strongly dislike Kyoya Ootori just because he surpassed her in basically every class ranking, there was something else about him that bugged her. Something about him that reminded her too much of herself that the face he showed everyone was fake and what lied underneath was something less than perfect. In addition to Kyoya's sketchiness he was also part of the _host club._

The one and only club Yumeno hated with a passion. She couldn't understand the frivolous girls who went there who obviously didn't want to inherit their company if they had the time to waste on fawning over boys, and don't even get Yumeno started on the boys who were members of the host club. In her opinion they were all narcissistic and arrogant and she was pretty sure one of them was a girl. But she couldn't express her disdain for the host club openly. OH NO that would ruin the façade she worked so hard to create. Instead she always said she had some incredibly important event when one of the frivolous girls in her class asked her if she wanted to join them. With this in mind Yumeno wondered how in the world she ended up sipping tea while sitting across the infuriating prick known as Kyoya Ootori in her most hated place in the entire school, the host club's club room.


	2. FML

**FML**

After a long inner monologue filled with cussing and self-hatred for letting herself end up in this situation, Yumeno finally remembered how she ended up in the fucking situation. Her close and probably only real friend Aiko had been trying to get her to accompany her to come to the host club so she could have a companion as she went to go flirt with Kaoru or was it Hikaru anyway it was one of the Hitachiin twins.

Her blessed, about to get a good long discussion that might involve cussing, friend Aiko told Yumeno to follow her to the music room so she could pick up her violin from music room 3. Little did Yumeno knew that music room 3 was the club room for the host club and before she could even realize what was happening she was already asked what host she wanted to chat with.

She would have picked the Hitachiin twins so she could stick with Aiko and quietly whisper black magic curses to her as she stared and tried to flirt with the Hitachiin twins, but they were already at maximum client capacity and her friend Aiko just conveniently took the last spot. Luckily but more like unfortunately for Yumeno there was still one host left who was not at maximum client capacity Kyoya fucking Ootori, so here Yumeno was sipping Darjeeling tea across from Kyoya Ootori as he entertained the daughter of an electronic company CEO sitting next to him.

"This is just my fucking luck, not only am I forced to sit through this nonsense called a host club, but also the only host available is Kyoya fucking Ootori" cursed Yumeno inside her head. Yumeno would've kept on cursing her luck inside of her head like a semi-crazy person, but she was suddenly interrupted by the sound of Kyoya talking to her.

"What the hell does he want?! Wait what the hell is he even saying? Yumeno calm down and focus put on your most winning smile and look like you don't want to stab yourself right now". "Takahashi-san this is the first time I've seen you at the host club what brings you here?" inquired Kyoya.

" Well Ootori-san I've heard so much about your club and today Aiko just insisted we visit, and I could just not say no so here I am" replied Yumeno in the most flattering voice she could muster. "I am glad that you could join us today Takahashi-san I hope you will enjoy your time here." "Thank you", replied Yumeno.

The rest of Yumeno's time passed by relatively smoothly, Kyoya didn't address her after that question instead he was too busy selling host club memorabilia to the dumb saps willing to buy it, and Yumeno decided to spend her time debating what shade of pink they used to paint the walls of music room 3 and whether or not the color was a proper choice for a music room. After the host club ended Yumeno grabbed Aiko and ran (more like calmly walked out, she had an image to maintain) out of that god forsaken room.

"Why the hell did you lie to me" Yumeno whispered to Aiko "I honestly cannot understand what's going on in your Hitachin twin filled brain". "How dare you it's not Hitachin twin filled, my mind and heart only belongs to Hikaru" responded Aiko."Ok, cool whatever…. besides the fact that you like one of the first year twins how in the hell did you think it was a great idea to blatantly lie to my face, drag me to my most hated place in the entire school, and then have me spend the rest of my afternoon with my mortal enemy!" whispered Yumeno with growing intensity.

"Ok number one I didn't know you would end up having to sit with Kyoya I thought you could just sit next to me as I got Hikaru to notice me, and two…. Oh hey look there's my chauffeur see you on Monday Yumeno don't curse me with any of your voodoo magic when you get home. Byee". Aiko frantically replied as she dashed to her car as quickly as possible to avoid Yumeno's wrath.

"Damn her" Yumeno though "She is so dead when I see her next time. Also it's black magic not Voodoo… pfft _voodoo_ like who would take voodoo seriously. Honestly when is my chauffeur I am going to miss my incredibly important event (this incredibly important event was the 6:00 showing of Gintama, but nobody had to know that). All of sudden she heard the infuriating voice of Kyoya Ootori wishing her a safe trip home as he entered his car, and lucky for Yumeno her chauffeur arrived at that exact moment because her façade was about to crack big time.

"Did you hear that Mr. Lee is he not so irritating how dare he say that to me have a safe trip what the hell is that supposed to mean!" fumed Yumeno furiously as she entered the car. (Wait you must be thinking what the hell I thought Yumeno Takahashi only kept her façade on and maintained the image of the perfect rich daughter. Well Yumeno Takahashi is lazy and strategic and she decided only to show her façade to people that could give her an advantage in her life and these types of people did not include her servants or her friend Aiko. Why you ask well her servants should be obvious, no matter what Yumeno would be their boss in the future anyway so she could fire them if they displease her and also none of the servants are offended by Yumeno's true personality, and they actually find it entertaining the switch between her personalities when her parents are around. And the reason her friend Aiko doesn't get her façade is because Yumeno has known Aiko for so long, long before she created her façade, she thought that Aiko wouldn't be deceived by it so why bother showing it. Anyway back to the conversation).

"Mrs. Takahashi I don't think Ootori-san meant you any harm I think he genuinely was trying to wish you a safe trip home" replied Mr. Lee. "Oh no Mr. Lee you don't understand I'm pretty sure he has it out for me, sometimes I feel like he can see through my façade" admitted Yumeno "I can't tell what's going on in his brain. He just seems too perfect, and get this Mr. Lee. Today I was forced to go to that wretched host club because of Aiko and I had to sit with Kyoya Ootori and he basically ignored me the entire time. I mean what man can resist the amazing charm of Yumeno Takahashi!"

"I can't imagine any man not falling for your irresistible charm Mrs. Takahashi." Replied Mr. Lee in a voice that oozed fake flattery. "Mr. Lee I can almost feel your sarcasm, but I'll let it slide today because I am too tired to complain about anything else today. Yumeno shot back exasperatedly.

"Anyway do I have anything important to attend to when I arrive home?" "Your parents are home today, so the moment you arrive home it will be around dinner time, so you will have to have dinner with your parents, and I hear your father has some important news to tell you today" responded Mr. Lee.

"Just great, damn it now I'm going to miss the 6:00 showing of Gintama"…. Yumeno thought "if you could excuse me Mr. Lee I have to make an incredibly important phone call to the head maid Mrs. Sato." "Of course you do and I bet it had nothing to do with an anime called Gintama" replied Mr. Lee. "Shut it will you" Yumeno responded jokingly as she dialed Mrs. Sato number into her phone. "Oh hello Mrs. Sato could you help me with a teeny weeny favor" Yumeno asked in a sickly sweet voice that made Mr. Lee shudder.

"What do you want now Yumeno. Do you know how busy I am with your parents suddenly coming home after a 3 month business trip?" Mrs. Sato complained. "It's just a really simple favor that could determine whether or not I die if you do not help me out…. Could you possibly go to my room and record the 6:00 showing of Gintama pretty please?" pleaded Yumeno. "*sigh* is that it, fine I'll get one of the new maids to do it for you" responded Mrs. Sato.

"NOOO" Yumeno screamed "what is it now" Mrs. Sato snapped back annoyed. "Well… I may or may have not cleaned my room in the 3 months since my parents left and I think if one of the new maids went into my room they may have a heart attack, but more importantly they probably wouldn't be able to find my TV. Yumeno answered sheepishly Sooo Mrs. Sato if you could possibly go to my room and record it yourself that would be absolutely amazing of you."

"Fine, honestly you would think a rich ojou-sama like you would have better hygiene skills and common sense to know to clean her room in 3 months" Mrs. Sato complained. "Thank you Mrs. Sato you're the best head maid ever!" Yumeno gleefully replied. Yumeno could hear Mrs. Sato shout back at her I'm the only head maid as she hung up the phone.

When Yumeno look up she could see the car pull into the driveway of the way too large for just 3 people and their 100 servants Takashi residence. "We're here Mrs. Takahashi. Your parents are waiting for you in the dining hall." Mr. Lee informed Yumeno as she got out of the car.

Yumeno pushed open the twenty feet gold encrusted doors that led to the glamourous entranceway of the Takahashi residence that contained everything a stereotypical rich person's entranceway would have.A large mahogany staircase that led to the upstairs, 3 large crystal chandeliers, granite floor imported from France, rugs imported from Arabia, and at least 5 overly fancy portraits of previous heads of the Takahashi Corporation. Any normal person would have dropped to their knees at the sheer wealth and glamour the Takahashi's entranceway exuded, but to Yumeno this was everyday décor and she passed through the entranceway as if it was nothing more than a measly school hallway as she made her way into the dining room that in no way shape or form paled in comparison to the entranceway.

The dining hall was just as glamorous as the entranceway with its 2 crystal chandeliers, but this time the tile was imported from Italy, and the rugs from Turkey, and right in the smack dab middle of the dining hall was a long and elegant looking mahogany dining table with a silk table cloth imported from China draped over it. The table could easily sit 40 people, but most days it only sat one person and on occasions maybe 3 people.

Yumeno sat down in her place at the dining table, right across from her mother and on the left hand side of her Father, as she proceeded to ask her parents the polite formalities every daughter must ask her parents when they return from a business trip. How was your day? How was your trip? How did business go on the trip? Did you meet anyone interesting during the trip? And on that question her Father's answers strayed from the usual good and no.

"Yumeno interesting you would say that because your mother and I actually met someone interesting during our business trip" responded Yumeno's father, Ryouto Takahashi, "We met Yoshio Ootori and his wife Yoshio Ootori, you know who they are don't you know Yumeno." "Yes, Father they are the Takahashi's corporation's biggest supplier of medical equipment to our hospitals" Yumeno responded diligently.

"I am glad that you are well aware of their connection to our company and I assume you know of their son Kyoya Ootori I hear he is in the same class as you" Yumeno's father inquired. "Yes" Yumeno replied warily.

"Well, Mr. Ootori and I were talking and we think that a marriage between our two families would be most favorable so we could merge the families, but don't worry Yumeno I was adamant in making Kyoya your marriage partner so the age difference between you two isn't that large and it won't make things awkward" Yumeno's father informed Yumeno as he stared at her with eyes that screamed you don't have a say in this.

"You are so lucky Yumeno dear. Ootori-kun is the prime husband candidate my friends say they wanted their daughters to marry, and I also hear he's the most handsome out of his three brothers" Yumeno's Mother, Akira Takahashi, gushed.

"Wow, I don't even know how to respond… however Father don't misunderstand I am completely grateful for this amazing opportunity you are blessing me with to expand our company" Yumeno replied shocked as she clutched her fork in repressed anger knowing that she in no way could escape this marriage arrangement. "Well, I'm glad that you're opposed to this arrangement, and you are accepting this rather well" Her Father stated " Ootori-kun and You will be having a date tomorrow, so you two can learn more about each other" " Great, I can't wait Father" Yumeno answered with as much enthusiasm as she could muster as she suppressed homicidal thoughts.

"Oh, also I almost forgot to mention that you will be the host club's new manager, so you can spend as you can with Ootori-kun before you graduate high school. Because you two will probably marry after you graduate university and there is no guarantee that you two will go to the same university, so we have to make this time count while we can" Her father off-handedly informed her.

" That sounds wonderful Father, I can't wait to participate in my new club" Yumeno answered through the teeth of painfully bright plastered on smile as she eyed the bust a few feet away from her as she wondered how hard she would have to smash her head against it to induce a coma..."just wonderful."

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: Poor Yumeno, but then again I forced her into this situation so it is my fault... haha I sound like a crazy person right now probably. Anyway leave a review and tell me what you think on the story or what I could I improve on writing style or grammatically wise.**


	3. The Date

_**The Date**_

Apparently, you had to bang your head pretty hard to induce a coma. So hard in fact that Yumeno, who was down on her luck sadly, didn't slam her head hard enough to knock herself out. Instead she was left with a nasty bruise, a forehead shaped indent on her dresser, and a throbbing pain that would last about an hour or two.

"Fuck my life, fuck arranged marriages, fuck using children for monetary and business advantages, and most of all fuck Kyoya Ootori and the fact that he exists" screeched Yumeno as she could feel her voice going hoarse.

Thank God Yumeno's bedroom was sound proof because if a passing maid heard the screaming going on in her room she would think someone was being a murdered or about to murder someone. The latter of the two may actually happen to a poor innocent servant if they happened to enter Yumeno's room, but lucky for the servants Yumeno hung a do not disturb sign on her door so she could have her rant in peace.

"Curse my damn luck. Why him?! Out of all people in the entire school I could've been married off to. Why does it have to be him" fumed Yumeno as she reached for the closest thing on her dresser she could throw.

She grabbed a $500 bottle of perfume she got from one her father's countless business partners trying to suck up to her and as she pulled back her arm ready to smash the damn thing to the floor she realized the fabric of her dress was restricting her movement.

"The hell is it now! Even my clothing is getting in my way today" Yumeno screeched as she looked down at the yellow monstrosity called her school uniform. "This is the probably the ugliest uniform in the world. I prefer that brown sack of a middle school uniform over this! Why can't our uniforms just mimic the boy's uniform at least their uniform has color variety and doesn't look like a daisy threw up on them!" Yumeno complained as she ripped her uniform off of her probably tearing a few seams in the process as she stormed into her walk in closet to find something less yellow to wear. She settled on a black t-shirt and grey sweatpants so her clothing could reflect her mood.

Afterwards Yumeno stormed into her way too huge bathroom to proceed to take off her makeup. As looked into her mirror, she noticed the swelling blueish purple bruise growing on her head. "I don't even know if I have enough foundation to cover this up for tomorrow." Yumeno sighed drained out of energy from her previous yelling session to be mad about the unsightly bruise on her forehead. "Whatever it's just another blemish on my life …. I'll deal with it tomorrow."

Yumeno finished washing off her makeup and looked in the mirror. She saw a girl that looked tired, that looked desperate, that look like she wanted to disappear. She saw a girl that could be drop dead gorgeous at a better time, but at the moment the girl was sick with life and too exhausted to protest against it anymore. She saw a girl with messed up, knotted, raven hair; with intense dark circles from late nights of studying and business deals; with stress lines that someone her age should not have.

"Guess what Kyoya Ootori you get to marry a broken girl who lives life through a façade! Aren't you happy!" Yumeno screamed at her reflection in the mirror as she began to laugh manically. Yumeno collapsed onto the floor and curled herself in a ball amongst the wreckage of her mental breakdown and began to cry in frustration…..

'Ok, calm down Yumeno. Sure you're stuck in a loveless marriage with a prick you would whether strangle than kiss, but that's ok. Let's stay calm and focus. You can't let anyone know you're opposed to marrying him. Think about it this way, you're marrying into a highly prestigious family whose business is at the top of their field and now you can use them to your advantage to expand your own business' Yumeno thought trying to calm herself down. 'You can do this, if you can live your entire childhood with a façade on, why not the rest of your life. You will not fail your parents, you will succeed in making this marriage go through.'

After a thirty minute pep talk to herself Yumeno finally calmed down and hauled herself off her bathroom floor so she could collapse on her bed. 'Who knows maybe Kyoya will turn out to be a decent person and not the fake façade wearing jackass you think he is' Yumeno hoped trying to encourage herself as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The light shining from Yumeno's curtains finally woke her up, and she was less than pleased. "Screw sunshine, why the hell is it so sunny today. Can't the weather read my mood and tell that this is not a joyous occasion." Yumeno grumbled as she rolled out of bed.

She trudged towards her bathroom to apply makeup to cover up the bruise on her forehead from last night's incident. Yumeno applied a light layer of foundation with exception to the bruised area which she emptied out half of her foundation bottle trying to cover up the bruise and then applied a generous amount of concealer to hide away her dark circles. Afterwards she applied a nude shimmer eyeshadow, some mascara, and then some lip gloss. She looked in the mirror and saw a well put together girl, the opposite of what she looked like yesterday. Yumeno finished off the look by loosely curling her hair and then went to her closet to find an outfit that didn't scream I want to kill myself right now.

She settled on a flowy knee length white dress with lace embroidery and coupled it with a pastel pink jacket and a pair of white ribbon wedges and gold diamond studs. "Kyoya Ootori I swear I better be mistaken, and you better be a decent person, or else I swear to God this relationship will be the most manipulative one the world has ever seen" Yumeno muttered through her teeth as she practiced her winning fake smile in the mirror one last time before she headed out her bedroom door.

As she walked down the stairs, she stopped Mrs. Sato who was passing by and inquired what was for breakfast. Mrs. Sato gave Yumeno a sly raised eyebrow look and stated to her "Didn't you know Yumeno your date with Kyoya starts from morning to night. You'll be having breakfast with him at your favorite café."

"What" Yumeno low-keyed whispered yelled "I have to spend my entire day trying to be civil with that prat."

"Oh Yumeno, you'll be fine just use that fake façade thingy you have, and everything will turn out great." teased Mrs. Sato

"Quit mocking me! You of all people know how much I despise him, and how easily my facades falters when I'm around him!" fumed Yumeno.

"Dear, everything will turn out fine you know what they say there's a fine line between love and hate" Mrs. Sato laughingly stated as she walked away to complete the rest of her chores. Yumeno could still her Mrs. Sato's laughter in the distance as she stomped (as delicately as she could) down the stairs "she just loves to mock me" thought Yumeno.

* * *

Yumeno arrived at her favorite French café, and as she got out of the car she could hear Mr. Lee tease her "Good luck with your future husband!" he shouted after her.

"You and Mrs. Sato both love to poke fun at my sadness don't you all." Stated Yumeno exasperated.

"Not love it Yumeno dear, we live for it. Have fun on your date!" Mr. Lee told her as he drove off leaving Yumeno by herself with nothing but her future standing in front of her.

'You can do this Yumeno. Remember winning smile when you enter the café, clasped hands when you're sitting down to prevent choking yourself or the jackass sitting across from you, and a polite and demure tone when speak to him.' Yumeno recited to herself as she pushed open the door and stepped into the café.

She was automatically greeted by a cheery young blonde waitress who asked if she had a reservation. Yumeno replied "Yes, I do I think it's under the name Ootori" paying special attention not to throw up as she said his last name. "Oh Yes, I found it" the waitress responded "the other half of your party has already arrived I'll show you to your table".

The waitress led Yumeno through a throng of tables until they finally reached a beautifully set table in the corner of the café that had a beautiful view of the outside. There was a beautifully crafted flower arrangement at the center of the table, and just to the left of it sat Kyoya Ootori.

"I'm sorry I hope you didn't wait to long." Yumeno apologized to Kyoya as she flashed her winning smile at him.

"Oh, I didn't wait long at all. I'm glad you're here now. It's already quite late in the morning already why don't we order." Responded Kyoya politely.

"That sounds like a great idea Kyoya." Stated Yumeno "I'll have the eggs benedict with a lightly tossed herb salad and a glass of freshly squeezed dekopon juice." Yumeno told the waitress. As Kyoya told the waitress order, Yumeno took this time to observe him.

'Honestly he is not that terrible looking, and he greeted me nice enough in the beginning. Maybe my first impression of him was just blinded with hatred and cynicism. He's probably a great guy Yumeno. You have nothing to worry about.' Yumeno reassured herself in her head.

As they waited for the food to brought Yumeno decided to ask Kyoya what his primary role in the host club was. "I am the host club's vice president. I primarily manage the host club's finances, and I am what you would call the "cool type" when it comes to hosting" responded Kyoya with a cheery smile.

"Fascinating" replied Yumeno with an even bigger smile "I can't wait to help you and the rest of the club members as your manager!"

The rest of their meal proceeded in the same polite manner: a polite inquiry about something happening in one or the others' lives, an equally polite response. The entirety of their talk during breakfast was all quite vapid and held no content of real substance, but this held no importance to Yumeno.

What mattered the most to her, is that Kyoya Ootori had turned out to be a decent guy. Maybe a little dull and overly polite and something about him, struck Yumeno as not quite genuine, but she brushed that off as nerves, as she was just grateful he was not the complete jackass she thought he was.

* * *

The rest of their date passed in the same polite yet boring manner breakfast did. He brought her to a world famous aquarium on an island nearby Japan. They exchanged polite banter, neither of them mentioning a topic that seemed too serious or too personal, and Yumeno, the entire time, took careful precaution to make sure her façade did not crack.

There was one moment at the aquarium that Yumeno found a bit odd. When she was walking toward the jellyfish exhibit, she felt an unsettling stare focused on her. The sensation was similar to an animal stalking their prey before they attack, or a businessman determining the best way to take down his competitors. But when Yumeno turned around to find the source of this unnerving stare all she saw was Kyoya and his permanently glued on smile, so she decided that the late nights of business deals and no sleep were finally getting to her.

* * *

Kyoya and Yumeno were walking down a well-lit city street as their date drew to a close, and as she was about to wish Kyoya a good night she felt herself suddenly pulled into the nearby alleyway and her back slammed against a wall.

As Yumeno was about to knee her assaulter in the balls and try to rip out his jugular with her nails, she looked up and saw her assaulter was none other than Kyoya Ootori and he had her in none other than the famous kabedon position. Kyoya's eyes no longer resembled the soft polite ones she saw in dinner, and instead they seemed more intense, more calculative, more manipulative.

'I knew there was something not right about this bitch. He seemed too fucking perfect during our date. I knew it! But keep calm Yumeno and keep up the façade. Let's see how we can twist this situation to our advantage' thought Yumeno to herself.

"Umm Kyoya… What are you doing?" questioned Yumeno making sure to add a slight quiver to her voice.

"Oh, drop the act Yumeno. I've seen your momentarily lapses of composure at school whenever you think no one is looking. How you secretly cuss under your breath; how you secretly want to join the black magic club; how you glare at me with hatred every time I score higher than you on a test." Responded Kyoya as he jutted her chin upwards moving their faces even closer together. "Honestly, your polite act today was quite amusing. It was like watching a mutt trying to learn tricks for the first time."

The moment Yumeno heard those last words something in her cracked and before she knew it her façade shattered to the ground. "DA FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME!" screamed Yumeno as she grabbed Kyoya's collar, unintentionally bringing their faces even closer together than before.

"Heh, what did I say nothing but a façade. But honestly as repelling as your true personality is I still don't mind marrying you. You looks aren't half-bad; I can see that underneath your incredibly vulgar personality there is a deep drive for success; your ability to trick most people with your façade is commendable; and you're another great asset to utilize to achieve a goal I have in mind. So what do you say Yumeno Takahashi, will you marry me?" sneered Kyoya as he pulled out a gorgeous 24 karat diamond ring surrounded with rubies.

"Listen here Kyoya fucking Ootori, You are one of the most repulsive people I have ever met. But honestly this marriage is going to be a lot more interesting than a polite boring one I would have with some other man. Also just as you have a use for me, I have a use for you too, and your face isn't half bad either. So I'll accept your proposal Kyoya." Yumeno spat back at him.

Before taking the ring, Yumeno kicked one of Kyoya's leg out from under him, so he landed in a kneeling position. "You know men really should kneel when they propose" Yumeno mockingly stated at him as she plucked the ring from his fingers and slipped it onto her ring finger.

"Till death do us part _honey_." Kyoya called back at her as Yumeno walked away.

* * *

Yumeno was sitting in one of her countless Roll Royces as Mr. Lee drove her home as she held up her ring to the car light and watch it glitter in all of its splendor. The ring screamed wealth, but the cold polished gems that adorned it lacked a feeling of love to them. It was as if the ring was a tangible representation of Yumeno's future marriage.

* * *

 **Sorry, It's been a long time since I've updated, but hey I've been busy. AP exams, ACT, SAT, and finals don't study for themselves. Since it's summer now I'll try to update more often, but yeah... we'll see how well I keep that promise. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please leave a review telling me what you thought about it. I know the grammar in this story is not the best, but you know I'm trying. Also yes Yumeno refers to herself in third person when she talks to herself in her head and there is nothing odd about it except everything about it. Till next time Yumeno Out!... REVIEW...**


	4. Realization

**Realization**

The day back to school was chaos for Yumeno. The news that Kyoya Ootori was off the market broke the hearts of at least half the school's female population, and it didn't help that the entirety of Ouran Academy's 2A class was bombarding Yumeno with questions.

"How did this happen?"

"It is an arranged marriage decided by our families"

"When's the wedding?"

"At least after we graduate college."

"Oh my gosh, look at that ring it's so beautiful"

"Thank you, we hand selected the design and the gems together!"

"You two make a lovely couple."

"Thank you, you're too kind!"

"When was this arrangement decided?"

"Last month during a business conference between my father and Mr. Ootori."

"Are you going to allow Kyoya to still participate in the Host club?"

"I wouldn't want to hinder Kyoya from his club duties. In fact I will be assisting the host clubs as their manager."

The last answer may have surprised a commoner who was not adept in the social rules of the upper class, but at Ouran Academy very few arranged marriages were taken seriously.

At least 40% of Ouran academy's school population was in some type of marriage arrangement, but most of them held no real meaning to them. The majority of the arrangements was arbitrarily chosen by the student's parents and could be called off any time if a better offer came along or something unpleasant happened between the two soon to be wed companies.

You could easily still flirt with someone who was in an arranged marriage as long as it was consensual, and nobody would think anything of it. However, dating and very bold moves on someone other than your partner were looked down upon but not completely uncommon.

Yumeno knew she had to be careful in the chess game known as the social circles of Ouran. One false move, one misplaced word, one untimely expression, and the girls in school would think that Yumeno was merely a measly pawn in their way to a favorable marriage with an Ootori son, and not the formidable queen she sought to personify. Yumeno walked a thin tightrope between social praise and social depravity, and she was determined to not let her social reputation be the reason for a failed arranged marriage.

That was why Yumeno spent almost every moment of her day calculating: calculating ways to expand her family's business, calculating ways to raise her reputation in school, calculating what lines to say next and what pitch to deliver them with, calculating what angle she should tilt her head and when she should flutter her eyes as she coaxed a favor out of someone. Yumeno was a human calculator, but instead of punching out numbers she punched out sickly sweet deceptive words and carefully timed actions.

Yumeno was in the midst of planning and perfecting her act as the manager of the host club in her head when she was interrupted by the sound and vibration of two hands slamming onto her desk. Yumeno looked up with a mildly shocked expression, making sure not to let her annoyance with the intruder slip out onto her face.

'Oh, it's just Aiko' Yumeno thought, as she tried not to look annoyed with her best friend.

"Why am I learning about your arranged marriage with Kyoya Ootori through the school's gossip circles rather than you personally!" fumed Aiko.

"I'm sorry Aiko. I've had a long weekend, and I just forgot to tell you." sighed Yumeno as she gave Aiko the 'I'll tell you more during lunch when we're in a more secluded area look'.

"Fine" Aiko pouted "But I'm going to leave no stone unturned, no detailed untold, no truth hid…"

"Yeah yeah yeah" Yumeno cut her off quietly so no one except Aiko could hear " just get back to your desk, class is about to start."

Class couldn't pass by any slower for Yumeno. She had already learned all the material being taught two years ago from her private tutor, but Yumeno still had to appear engaged in the lesson or else she would risk ruining her perfect honor student image.

As soon as the teacher had packed away his materials and left the classroom, Yumeno felt herself being whisked away so quickly by Aiko that she barely had any time to grab her lunch out of her bag. Aiko led her to a secluded corner of the courtyard underneath a cherry blossom tree in full bloom, which would obscure the view of the pair from any passerby.

"Ok spill it" Aiko demanded "I want to know every single detail about this arranged marriage of yours!"

Thus Yumeno began to relay every detail about her arranged marriage to Aiko. From the dinner conservation from hell with her father to banging her head against her dresser to awkwardly walking around the aquarium with Kyoya until they finally reached the less than romantic marriage proposal.

"Aiko, that jackass had the audacity to forcibly pin me, Yumeno Takahashi, against a wall!" ranted Yumeno "And I know you and the whole school thinks he's a perfect gentlemen that could do no wrong, but let me tell you that son of a bitch wears a mask thicker than mine and he has a personality to match the devil himself!"

"He even saw through my façade. I don't how he could see through it. I was so careful with every word I said, every move I made, I even worked so hard to keep my facial expression from twisting in disgust as I talked to him. I told you there was something off about him; he just seemed too perfect!" continued Yumeno as she tried to vent out all the rage she felt from her arranged marriage.

As Yumeno finished up her rant session, light laughter could be heard from Aiko's direction which soon escalated into a hysteric laughing fest.

"Do you find my sadness entertaining Aiko?" questioned Yumeno "God, I didn't know you were such a sadist."

"I'm sorry Yume" gasped Aiko between her fits of laughter as she wiped the tears away from her eyes. "The irony of your marriage is just too much for me!

"You know despite your protestations to your marriage I think you and Kyoya will make a pretty decent couple." Aiko said as she calmed down.

"Aiko, I am this close to sending you to a mental institute because of all the nonsense you're sprouting" Yumeno sighed as she rubbed her temples.

"I'm serious. I know you hate him with all your might, but if you think about it. You two are pretty similar. You both wear a mask and behind that mask is a less than desirable personality. Also from your description of him it seems that both of you hold a considerable amount of drive and ambition regarding your families companies. However I feel like Kyoya is more indifferent when he sheds his façade. While I know this from experience, you are much more temperamental and excitable. Overall I think you too complement each other really well" explained Aiko as she nodded with her chin in her hand.

All Yumeno could do was stare dumbfounded at Aiko with her mouth gaping wide open from her dearest friend's insanity.

"Aiko, you know I love you, but you have to stop smoking drugs. They're messing with your brain" expressed Yumeno concerned as she placed her hand on Aiko's shoulder.

"Oh Yumeno, Oh sweet sweet in denial Yumeno. I know you would like to think I have a drug problem, but I don't. You will see my side eventually. But for now, you keep on living in your small little box you've built around yourself" smirked Aiko.

"Oh, look there's your future husband to be walking towards us now."

Yumeno turned to the direction Aiko was pointing to and surely enough there was Kyoya heading towards them.

"Sup Jackass" spat out Yumeno "What do you need?"

Kyoya actually faltered for a second as he was surprised Yumeno would use such vulgar language in front of a classmate, especially as one influential as Aiko Fujimura.

Yumeno could sense Kyoya's confusion as he glanced at Aiko. "She already knows everything Kyoya. From my façade to yours." Explained Yumeno.

"Well then Ms. Fujimura, I hope you understand I would like to keep my occasional lapse in manners between us three or else the Ootori family may have to withdraw their investment in the Fujimura's newest business venture." Threatened Kyoya with smile that others would find serene and peaceful, but Yumeno could only view as extremely creepy and menacing.

"No need to threaten me Kyoya. I'm great at keeping secrets. Just ask Yumeno, I've been keeping her façade hidden for years now. Aiko smiled back as she got up to leave. "I'm going to leave you two alone, so you guys can discuss whatever you need to discuss."

"Oh and Kyoya I wouldn't mind a complimentary Hitachin twin photobook as compensation for keeping your little secret." Aiko suggested as she walked away.

"Interesting friend you have there" Kyoya stated as he watched Aiko walk away.

"Aiko can be a bit crazy at times, but she always means well. I've known her since we were children and I can't imagine life without her. However I doubt you understand the concept of friendship since it's probably beyond your understanding of human interaction Mr. Dark Lord.

"While I find your petty insults amusing Yumeno. I'm on a tight schedule, so I will have to humor you another day." Drawled Kyoya "I just came by to tell you that club activities start at 4:15 usually, but I want you to come earlier at 4 so I can explain all your manager duties."

"Will do, see you then Sweetie" mocked Yumeno as she walked away.

"I'll be waiting for you Honey" Kyoya called out at her retreating form.

'Argh that man pisses me off more than I thought was humanly possible. I just want this day to be over with already' Yumeno thought trying her best to maintain a calm composure as she walked back to her classroom.

Needless to say Yumeno's day was not going to get easier, and the way she saw this marriage heading neither was her life either.

* * *

 **AN: HI HI I'm back after almost two months of absence. I know this chapter is shorter than my previous two, but I felt like I really needed to update this story before it fell into obscurity on my to do list. College Essays have really been getting to me and they just make me want to pull my hair out. I promise even though my updates are sporadic and often far apart I will finish this story. I just need to stop procrastinating. Also I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and followed this story it means so much to me! And if you would like to make my day leave a review down below on what you thought about this chapter and how I could improve my writing. Thank you!**


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